


Buddy

by QianLan



Series: February Flash Fics (2018) [11]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Amnesia, Gen, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 20:38:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13644009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QianLan/pseuds/QianLan
Summary: Something went wrong on Poe's last mission and Bee is not the same...





	Buddy

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the SWWA's February Ficlet Challenge. Today's prompt was: "Character B has amnesia."
> 
> Today's pairing is Poe & BB-8.

 

 

The tech walked over to where Poe was de-briefing with some of the other members of his crew.  Poe had deliberately turned his back to the maintenance bay, but he saw it on the pilots’ faces as one by one, their eyes focused on something just behind him.  His breath caught and he felt his heartrate pick up. _You have to be okay._

_You just have to._

 

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and turned.

 

The poor tech was shaking.

 

Poe swallowed.  _I can do this.  I’m a kriffing colonel in the Resistance.  I can handle whatever she has to say._

 

“Colonel Dameron,” the tiny Twi’lek said.  She stopped and squared her shoulders. 

 

Poe had seen that look before.  It was the look the medics got just before they gave a family bad news.  It was the look the doctors had gotten in their eyes just before they’d told him and his father about his mama.  “Yeah?”  His voice was scratchy.

 

“There’s good news and bad.”  She chanced a glance back at the maintenance area before frowning and turning back to Poe.  “We were able to save BB-8.”

 

Poe thought his heart might have stopped.  “Wait, what?”

 

“We were able to save the droid.”

 

“But, that’s…that’s wonderful.”  Poe smiled.  He could feel his pilots patting his back and squeezing his arms.

 

“Yes, but…”

 

“But…”  The horrible pressing weight in his chest returned.

 

“I’m afraid we had to wipe their memory, reset to the factory settings.”

 

Poe blinked, slowly realizing what that meant.  “So…”

 

“So,” the tech said slowly.  “Beebee-ate will function just as any other astromech is designed to function, but they…they won’t necessarily remember you or, or, or…”

 

“So, it’s Bee but not,” Poe whispered.

 

The poor tech looked ready to cry.  She nodded, reaching out and putting her hand on Poe’s arm and squeezing.

 

Poe nodded, briefly putting his hand over hers, before turning to the pilots, who were—to a one—all teary eyed.  “I’m, uh, I’m…gonna need a few minutes.”

 

“Yeah,” Nodin said.  “Take all the time you need.”

 

“I’ll take over,” Jess whispered, sharing a look with Poe.  If anyone understood what he was feeling, it was her.

 

“Thanks, Jess.”

 

He turned back to the Twi’lek.  “Can I…”

 

“Of course,” she said, leading him back.

 

As he walked into the maintenance bay, Poe’s feet felt heavy.  He clenched his hands into fists to keep from shaking.  He kept licking his lips.

 

Then, he spotted Bee.  His first instinct was to yell “Buddy!” and run over, but he figured that might not work with a brand-new droid.

 

_Which is what you are, essentially, right?_

 

He shared a look with the tech, who nodded and gestured towards the round droid.  “Beebee-ate,” she called out.  “Come here.”

 

The droid dutifully rolled over, stopping just in front of them. 

 

She crouched down, and Poe had to smile at that.  “This is Colonel Dameron.  He’s your master.”

 

[Greetings, Designation Master-Dameron.]

 

Poe winced.  “Uh, can you call me Poe, buddy?”

 

The droid swiveled to the tech.  [Does not compute.]

 

She looked up at Poe apologetically.  “You’re probably going to have to do some reprogramming…”

 

“Yeah, of course,” Poe said.  He knelt down in front of BB-8.  “Instead of Master-Dameron, I would prefer if you addressed me by my rank.”  _At least until I can tinker with a few of your settings._

 

[Greetings, Designation Colonel-Dameron.]

 

Poe hated it.

 

He smiled.  “Thanks, buddy.”  He patted Bee’s dome and then stood.  “Let’s get you back to my quarters, okay?”

 

[Affirmative.]

 

Poe took a shaky breath and held his hand out to the tech.  “Uh, thanks.”

 

She shook his hand with a forced smile.  “Of course.”

 

As they started walking away, she called after them.  “Good luck, Beebee-ate.”

 

**# # # #**

 

Leia, Rey, and Finn sat at a table in the mess, each nursing a stale cup of caf as they watched Poe, sitting at table across the way, poking at his meal.

 

“He shouldn’t be alone,” Finn said.  He’d been saying it since they sat down.

 

Leia moved a hand over one of Finn’s.  “He’s grieving,” she said.  “And he just…”  She looked over at Finn.  “We’ll keep an eye on him, but just for now, give him his space.”  What she didn’t tell Finn was that she’d been visited by about a dozen pilots over the last few hours, each of whom had tried to get Poe to talk.  He’d sent them all away.

 

Rey looked down into the caf swishing in her cup, thinking of the sheer amount of empathy it took to bond with a droid.  She looked back over at Poe, who had smiled the first time they’d met, acting as if she were someone special.  Poe, who always had a hug, who was always so ready to love.  She shook her head, tears prickling at her eyes.  “It isn’t fair.”

 

“No, it isn’t,” Leia said.  “But as harsh as this sounds, a day ago, we weren’t even sure if they were going to be able to salvage Bee at all.”

 

Finn shook his head.  For all the ways that droid drove him crazy, it had also saved his life on more than one occasion.  He looked over at Poe, who had now given up even pretending to eat and was just staring vacantly across the mess.  He so wanted to just walk over, gather Poe in his arms, and hold him, and he hated that he couldn’t.

 

Leia reached out again, squeezing his hand.  “Give him time.”  She looked over at Poe.  “It takes time to grieve.”

 

“Which is something we don’t really have,” Finn reminded her.

 

Leia sighed.  “I know.”

 

**# # # #**

 

As it was, the only tweaks Poe was able to make to Bee’s programming before they were called out on assignment again were only those he deemed most vital to flying his new X-wing.

 

There had been chatter about Order activity near Lothal, and he and six of his pilots had been dispatched to check it out.  Poe prayed it was a just a rumor, as he still wasn’t sure how Bee was going to handle a combat situation, but of course, when they arrived, they came out of hyperspace into a mess.

 

The Order and a number of other ships— _smugglers_ , Poe wondered as he started barking out orders—were in the midst of a pretty nasty dogfight.  “Evasive maneuvers,” Poe yelled.  “I want everyone to concentrate your fire on that frigate.”

 

A lancer-class frigate out on its own most likely meant a raiding party.  _Up to your old tricks_ , Poe thought as he swerved to miss incoming fire.  “Bee, see what you can do about—”

 

“Poe,” Jess voice warbled, “Those smugglers are going to need some help.”

 

Poe looked over in time to see one of the smuggler’s ships listing heavily.  “Fine,” Poe yelled.  “You and Karé help them out.  The rest of you with me on that frigate.”  He paused and for a moment, he couldn’t figure out why.  Then, he realized, he’d been waiting from some off-hand remark from Bee.

 

Poe sighed.  “Bee, see what you can do about those stablizers, okay?”

 

He focused on the frigate, thankful to have something to distract him from how badly he missed his droid.

 

**# # # #**

 

“Colonel,” Kaydel said.

 

Poe scrubbed his face and looked up.  “Yeah?”

 

She handed him a datapad.  He scanned it before muttering, “Kriff.”

 

“The General wasn’t sure who you wanted to send.”

 

“No one to send,” Poe said.  Ever since they’d attacked that frigate near Lothal, they’d been running pretty much non-stop.  He sighed.  “Tell her I’ll take it.”

 

“Colonel,” Kaydel started.

 

“Connix, there’s no one else,” Poe said, picking up his mug and downing his caf in one gulp.  “Bee,” he said into his comm link, “meet me in the hangar.”

 

[Affirmative, Colonel Dameron.]

 

Poe winced and started jogging towards his ship.

 

**# # # #**

 

“Buddy,” Poe said, before sighing.  “Bee?”

 

[Ready, Colonel Dameron.]

 

“Run another scan of the surface and then we’ll call it a day, okay?”

 

[Affirmative, Colonel Dameron.]

 

Poe had started to hate the sound of [Affirmative, Colonel Dameron.]  It was like this droid was mocking him with the memory of Bee.  He leaned his head back, flying low over the surface of an unnamed moon that Leia was hoping they could use for clandestine meetings with their new suppliers.

 

Poe stretched his neck, wishing that they could get just a few days off.  _Just a few days so I can reprogram this thing—_

 

Poe flinched, instantly hating himself.  _Not a thing.  Never a thing, Dameron._   His hands tightened on the controls.  _Stop being such a selfish child._

_Hell, Jess loses an astromech ever week nearly.  You don’t see her acting like this._

 

But in the back of his mind, he heard a tiny voice that said, _Bee was different._

[Scan complete.]

 

“Great,” Poe said.  “Let’s head back to base.”

 

**# # # #**

 

As they came out of hyperspace, BB-8 trilled, [Unsafe weather conditions on the surface.  Suggest alternate landing area.]

 

Poe sighed.  He was tired; he was hungry, and he just wanted to go back to his quarters and sleep.  “Sorry, Bee.  We’re gonna have to muddle through it.”

 

[Strongly advise against attempting a landing in this weather.]

 

“Noted,” Poe said, missing the days when his droid would’ve argued with him in a much more colorful way.  _Probably would’ve called me an idiot_ , Poe thought with a smile.

 

“Ohhhhh,” Poe said, as the air got choppy coming through atmo.  “You weren’t kidding.”

 

[Negative, Colonel Dameron.]

 

Poe grit his teeth and focused on making it through the storm.

 

They were nearly all the way down when lightning streaked across the sky.  The X-wing started shaking.  “Hold on, buddy,” Poe yelled, as they bounced through some awful turbulence.

 

“Colonel Dameron, you’re clear on landing pad Alpha-two-niner.”

 

“Copy,” Poe said, his hands clenched around the controls and his eyes, wide, trying to see through the sheets of rain pelting the ship.

 

“Bee, I’m gonna—”

 

A bolt of lightning struck the ship.

 

Poe heard Bee’s scream, and it was like some horrible nightmare.  The original crash—the one where he’d essentially lost Bee—playing over again.  “Bee?  Bee?  Answer me!”

 

“Kriff,” Poe screamed as he refocused on setting the ship down.

 

**# # # #**

 

Ten minutes later, Poe was jumping out of the X-wing as techs swarmed around Bee’s now lifeless body.  “Kriff,” he said again, running his hands through his hair.  “You can fix them, right?”

 

“We’ll see,” one of them said, loading BB-8 onto a cart and rolling the droid away. 

 

Poe stood there, watching them, as the rain pounded down on him.

 

Snap came out, grabbing Poe’s shoulders and herding him inside.  “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

 

Poe was shaking his head.  “I…I can’t believe I…”  He turned to Snap.  “Bee said we shouldn’t land in this and I…”  He ran his hands through his hair again.  “Kriff.”

 

“Let’s get you into something dry, okay, Colonel?”

 

“Yeah,” Poe said, and then he stopped.  “No, I…I want to see Bee.”

 

Snap sighed and shook his head, leading Poe over to the maintenance bay, where there was a lot of noise.

 

A tech came running over.  “Oh good!  Colonel, we need your help.”

 

Poe looked to Snap, who shrugged, and the two took off jogging after the tech.

 

They skidded to a halt on the outside of a circle of techs who were all standing around BB-8. 

 

“What’s the problem,” Poe asked.

 

“Ummmm,” one of them pointed to BB-8, who had extended a telescopic arm that was sizzling with a charge.

 

“Bee,” Poe scolded.  “What in the kriff?”

 

[They were trying to deactivate me, Friend-Poe.]

 

“We were just trying to run a diagnostic,” one of the techs said.

 

Poe was about to answer them, when what Bee had said sunk in.  “Wait, what?”  He walked through the circle of techs towards his droid.  “Say that again, Bee.”

 

[These nerfherders were about to deactivate me, Friend-Poe.]

 

Poe gasped, tears filling his eyes.  _Friend-Poe?_

 

“Bee?”

 

[Yes?]

 

“Oh kriffing hell,” Poe said, surging forward to hug his droid.  He only barely missed being shocked.  “You’re back!”

 

[What in the kriff is wrong with you, Friend-Poe?]  The droid started looking at the techs, as if they might know.

 

Poe leaned back, laughing.  “You really don’t remember?  The crash?  The reset?”

 

[Are you well?]

 

Poe laughed even harder, falling back on his butt and shaking his head.  “I’m kriffing fantastic, buddy.  What say we go to command and de-brief?”

 

[Sure.]

 

Poe stared at the droid in awe, a dopey grin spread across his face.

 

[Are you sure you’re well?]

 

“Never been better, buddy.  Never been better.”

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> **Thank you for reading!**
> 
>  
> 
> As always, I appreciate all comments and kudos.


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